


Nightmares and Bedtime Stories

by esperink



Series: Taking Care [2]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Age Regression/De-Aging, Bedtime Stories, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Nightmares, Patton’s there in the beginning but he’s not a main component so I won’t tag him, Regressed Virgil, does it even count as that
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-31
Updated: 2019-07-31
Packaged: 2020-07-27 18:07:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 943
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20050312
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/esperink/pseuds/esperink
Summary: Roman didn’t ask any questions, and Virgil was content to keep him out of his coping time. And it would have stayed that way, if not for a small problem.





	Nightmares and Bedtime Stories

**Author's Note:**

> I. Can never leave things alone can I?
> 
> Also I had a completely different idea in mind but you know how writing is.

It had been about a month and a half since Roman had found out about Virgil’s... habits. Neither of the Sides had mentioned it, which Virgil would never say to Roman’s face that he was grateful for.

The most Roman had done, really, was give him a few sideway looks when he thought Virgil didn’t notice and move the goldfish crackers to a more accessible place.

Everyone was in the living room. Patton insisted on everyone watching a movie together, claiming it had been a while since they’d all spent time together as a famILY. He’d somehow even gotten Logan out of his room, though he still had a book in his hands.

“Hey, kiddos?” Patton’s voice called from the kitchen, where he was getting snacks for the movie. Noises of acknowledgement from Virgil and Roman. “What happened to the goldfish crackers?”

Virgil tensed slightly. Nobody seemed to notice.

“They should be in one of the lower cabinets,” Roman replied.

Cabinet doors opening and closing. “Nope, not here.”

Okay, so _maybe _Virgil had eaten the last of them during a coloring session a few days ago. But he wasn’t going to say anything about having eaten them because goldfish crackers are childish and he had a reputation to uphold. (He didn’t. He just felt embarrassed about eating them at all.)

“Ah,” he heard Roman murmur, and Virgil glanced over long enough to notice that he was looking at him. Then, louder, to Patton, Roman said, “I must have eaten the rest and forgotten. I apologize, padre.”

Patton pouted, but then said it was okay and looked for a different movie snack.

Virgil chewed on his thumbnail as his anxiety subsided with a small sigh. He wasn’t sure why Roman had covered for him but he wasn’t going to reject the help.

Roman had questions, obviously, but Virgil didn’t want to answer them just yet. And he had been thankful for his silence but that didn’t mean he was going to say anything.

Time passed, and Roman still didn’t ask, and Virgil still didn’t explain.

One night, however, he had a particularly bad dream.

He’d already regressed that night, and he didn’t particularly want to go back to being a grown-up yet. Being in this state of mind and body sometimes reduced the frequency of his common nightmares.

It didn’t help as much, this time. He woke up crying.

Virgil wasn’t really thinking when he left his room. He just needed to be with someone. He needed to not be in his room and he wanted, needed, comfort. But the only person who _knew _about Virgil’s regressing habits was Princey, he realized as he slowed his steps and tried to slow his frantic mind.

He hesitated, fear of being judged causing him to refrain from knocking at Roman’s door. He looked up at it. Princey always had to have a fancy door, he thought almost absentmindedly for a second.

Plus, wouldn’t he be bothering him? The creative Side did stay up sometimes, sure, but it was usually to work on ideas. What if he was interrupting?

He kind of whined in uncertainty, twisting the hem of his pajama shirt a bit. He didn’t notice movement behind the door as he muddled through his thoughts to figure out if this would be worth it.

Roman opened the door and when he spotted the boy he blinked in surprise. “Virgil?”

When Virgil looked up Roman took in his appearance. Small, clad in children’s pajamas, eyes wide and tearful.

Roman had to admit (to himself, and only himself) that he didn’t quite know what to do, but he let Virgil inside anyway.

For a moment, Virgil’s face flushed with embarrassment before he was overtaken by some sort of relief. He was with someone now. The bad dream couldn’t hurt him now, right?

“... Are you alright?” Roman asked after a few moments of silence.

Virgil shook his head, chewing on his fingers as his thoughts and emotions conflicted with each other.

He was with someone now, and out of his room, and it felt nice and soft here and there wasn’t any of the darkness that sometimes scared him when he was in this mindset.

But he’d gone to _Princey, _and he was _crying_, and now the prince had seen him upset in this state.

“Bad dream,” Virgil managed to mumble around his fingers.

A look of understanding crossed Roman’s face. And since Virgil seemed to be a child right now... “Must have been scary,” he said, and Virgil nodded. “Well,they can’t hurt you while I’m here. I’ll protect you and keep you safe.” He was hoping he was saying the right things, as he moved to kneel next to the boy and put a hand on his shoulder in what he hoped was a reassuring gesture.

Virgil somewhat leaned into the touch and Roman watched him, perplexed.

An idea popped into his head. “Say, how about I tell you a story?” He jumped up. Kids liked stories, right? Parents read stories to their kids before bedtime all the time.

Virgil looked up at the other Side, who conjured up a beanbag chair for him. He took his hands from his mouth and wiped them on his pajama pants. Roman tried not to grimace.

“Right, so,” Roman started. “This... is a story... about a brave knight.” Virgil was watching him almost intensely. “And he fought monsters, valiantly.”

Virgil listened to the story until his eyes got tired. He yawned into his hands and blinked a few times.

By the next time Roman looked at him to see if he was okay, the smaller Side had fallen asleep.

**Author's Note:**

> come yell at me on tumblr: esperinkdraws


End file.
